Cha-ching! (2-13)

Sometimes, the best Cha-ching! isn't what you do, but what you endorse. For instance, Moana Nursery in Reno, Nev., is promoting the 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which takes place this week (Feb. 17 – 20). The event gives the region's residents a great opportunity to enjoy nature and be a citizen-scientist at the same time. This study helps scientists better define bird ranges, populations, migration pathways and habitat needs.
 
The Reno chapter of Wild Birds Unlimited is the major sponsor of this joint project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society. Individuals, families, schools and organizations are encouraged to count birds at bird feeders and in backyards, local parks or other locations. Those tallies are then reported online through the BirdSource website.
 
The BirdSource website is a revolutionary partnership between citizens and scientists. It gives participants almost instantaneous feedback through graphics, animated maps and other regularly-updated information. Here are some results from the 2011 Count:

• More than 92,000 checklists were submitted. 2011 is the third year in a row that checklists have topped 90,000.

• 11,471,951 individual birds were counted. The Northern Cardinal was reported on the most checklists, followed by the Mourning Dove.

• The counts for the American Crow were up, the first time in eight years. Crows were hit hard by the West Nile virus starting in 1999.

Here's where the Cha-ching! for Moana Nursery comes in: Wild Birds Unlimited stores are located within each Moana Nursery location, so the garden center can get a very precise demographic report on its customers, who visit to sign up for the project. We're guessing, too, that many of these customers will also buy birding products at some time in the near future.